fire starter

[NorthernRaider]

As I pointed out in the review the cheaper ones are unreliable, but the real Mccoy are very reliable, and the fuel tank on them is large, easily enough for a good few weeks duty before refilling, Plus the burn rate is adjustable so you can run it mildly as a fire lighter on a nice sunny day, or to get fire wood burning in a force ten gale whilst its pissing down. Certainly a better option than petrol lighters.

Fire pistons are not much good when your tinder and kindling is wet and its windy or raining, not that 90% of bushcraft improvished fire lighting techniques origonated in warm to tropical places. For pissy down wet, cold windy northern Europe the best technique for my is I believe the scraper and magnesium block system, Once Magnesium starts burning not much will put it out.

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Mind you any method is better than nothing except perhaps the Brighton Survivalist fire lighting system which involves the vigorous rubbing of two boy scouts together until they burst into flames